Comparison

Nerve vs 1% Better

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Nerve

Transform unproductive app usage into a brain-training challenge. Answer logic puzzles and brainteasers to earn back access to blocked apps, with higher difficulty offering greater rewards and risk.

Highlights
  • App blocking via Apple Screen Time
  • 6 difficulty tiers with escalating rewards
  • Pick Your Risk and Gauntlet modes
  • Double-or-Nothing gambling mechanic
  • 1000 handcrafted brainteaser questions
  • ELO-inspired Brain Score tracking
  • Daily quests and achievements
Features
Read full description

Nerve turns screen time into a game of brains and risk. Block the apps you waste time on, then answer brainteaser questions to earn your screen time back. Harder questions unlock more time — if you have the nerve to try them. HOW IT WORKS Pick the apps you want to block. When you try to open one, Nerve challenges you with a brainteaser. Answer correctly and the app unlocks. Answer wrong and you're locked out on a cooldown. It's that simple. PICK YOUR RISK Choose from 6 difficulty tiers — Gimme, Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert, and Genius. Gimme questions earn you a few minutes. Genius questions earn you hours. But if you get it wrong, harder questions have shorter cooldowns while easier ones make you wait longer. Risk and reward, every time. DOUBLE OR NOTHING Got it right? Gamble your winnings on a harder question for double the screen time. Keep going until you cash out or lose it all. THE GAUNTLET Think you can go all the way? Start at Gimme and climb through all 6 tiers. Every correct answer adds time. One wrong answer and you stop — but you keep what you've earned. Complete all 6 for the ultimate payout. 1000 BRAINTEASER QUESTIONS Logic puzzles, lateral thinking, pattern recognition, wordplay, math tricks, spatial reasoning, number sense, sequencing, deduction, and visual puzzles. These aren't trivia — they're brainteasers designed to make you think. BRAIN SCORE Track your intellectual growth with an ELO-inspired rating system. Start at 1000 and climb through 7 ranks: Novice, Student, Scholar, Expert, Master, Grandmaster, and Genius. See your strengths and weaknesses across 10 question categories. DAILY QUESTS & ACHIEVEMENTS Three new quests every day to keep you on track. Earn streak multipliers for consecutive days. Unlock 20+ achievements as you progress. The more you play, the more screen time you earn per question. FEATURES - Block any app using Apple Screen Time - 6 difficulty tiers with escalating rewards - Pick Your Risk and Gauntlet challenge modes - Double-or-Nothing gambling mechanic - 1000 handcrafted brainteaser questions - 10 question categories - ELO-inspired Brain Score tracking - Daily quests with bonus rewards - 20+ unlockable achievements - Streak tracking with time multipliers - Per-category performance analytics - Weekly progress reports - Cooldown skip packs - Works entirely on-device — no account required SUBSCRIPTION Nerve requires a subscription. Plans: - Monthly: $7.99/month - Yearly: $34.99/year (save 63%, includes 3-day free trial) Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.bestdaylabs.com/nerve/privacy.html Terms of Service: https://www.bestdaylabs.com/nerve/terms.html Support: https://www.bestdaylabs.com/nerve/support.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

1% Better

This app helps you build better habits by focusing on small, daily improvements that compound over time. Answer a single question each day to track your progress and visualize your growth towards significant long-term gains.

Highlights
  • Daily '1% better' question
  • Compounding progress visualization
  • Custom habit categories
  • Streak motivation
  • Edit past entries
  • Daily reminders
  • iCloud data sync
  • Home screen widget
Features
Read full description

If you got just 1% better every day, in one year you'd be 37 times better than today. That's the math: 1.01^365 = 37.78 Small steps don't just add up, they compound. Most habit trackers overwhelm you with too much form filling. You lose sight of the bigger picture: compounding progress over time. 1% Better is different. One question. One tap. Every day. "Were you 1% better today?" Answer honestly. Watch your progress compound. See the math become real. HOW IT WORKS - Every day, answer one question: "Were you 1% better today?" - Tap Yes or No — that's it - Your score compounds by 1% for every Yes (just like the math) - Watch your curve climb toward 37x over the year - Compare your actual progress against the ideal compounding curve in real time FEATURES - Beautiful dark-mode interface with neon data visualisation - Track one global habit or add custom categories (Health, Reading, Music, Career - anything you want) - Streaks that actually motivate (because you can see the compound effect) - Edit past entries anytime - no pressure, just honesty - Daily reminders keep you on track - All your data syncs privately via iCloud - we never see it - Home screen widget shows your progress without opening the app WHY IT WORKS Most people quit habits because progress feels invisible. You work hard, but the results seem flat. 1% Better makes compounding *visible*. You'll see your curve rise. You'll watch small decisions stack into exponential growth. And on tough days, you'll see exactly what you'd be losing if you quit. The math is simple. The results are undeniable. Start your journey to 37x better. Download 1% Better today. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Nerve4 screens
1% Better4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: 1% Better at freemium against Nerve's subscription. Nerve's advantage is ratings volume (15 vs 1). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Nerve sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and 1% Better sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Nerve against 5.0 for 1% Better. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nerve has 15 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nerve ships an update every 4 days, 1% Better every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Nerve versus 1% Better: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNerve1% Better
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (15 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.617.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB19 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBest Day Labs, LLCJugal Mistry

Customer experience

Nerve

All ratings15 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

1% Better

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Nerve

Subscriptions3
  • Nerve Weekly$0.997 Days
  • Nerve Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Nerve Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • Cooldown Skip Pack$0.99
  • Nerve Pro Lifetime$14.99
5 purchases

1% Better

Subscriptions4
  • 1% Better Premium Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Premium Annual3 Days trial$14.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • 1% Better Premium Yearly1 Year trial$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is Nerve free?
Nerve is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is 1% Better free?
1% Better is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Nerve or 1% Better?
1% Better is rated higher. Nerve averages 4.9 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while 1% Better averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Nerve or 1% Better have ads?
Neither Nerve nor 1% Better shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nerve or 1% Better?
Nerve ships an update every 4 days, and 1% Better every 3 days. Most recently, Nerve was updated on October 24, 2026 and 1% Better on October 24, 2026.

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